Somalia — Capital, Flag and Country Facts

Explore Somalia: capital Mogadishu, population, flag, geography, languages, history and culture.

Somalia is in Africa. Its capital is Mogadishu.

Climate

Principally desert; hot and humid along the coast; cooler in the northeast highlands; irregular rainfall

Mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in the north; coastal plain in the south

Somalia has the longest coastline in mainland Africa at 3,025 kilometers.

The Somali people are one of the most ethnically homogeneous groups in Africa, sharing one language, religion, and culture.

Laas Geel in Somalia contains some of the earliest known cave paintings in Africa, dating back over 5,000 years.

1000: Mogadishu established as a major Indian Ocean trading hub

1884: British and Italian colonial administrations divide Somali territories

1960: British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland unite to form independent Somalia

1991: Civil war begins after the overthrow of Siad Barre's regime

1993: Battle of Mogadishu (Black Hawk Down incident) during UN intervention

2012: Federal Government of Somalia established, marking political progress